Hacking Hackers

Ever since computers have been networked together with access to the internet someone has been there using their creativity to destroy. When will these senseless acts end? I would presume hackers will always exist as long as computers do. When we think of some of the hackers’ motives, we see that some hack to feel smart and sophisticated. Unfortunately, these hackers’ curiosity causes monetary damage. A recent example of this is a spyware program called ZeuS, which has infected over 75,000 computers worldwide. ZeuS has been responsible for stolen financial information, email accounts, sensitive business records, and intellectual property. ZeuS has been attributed to accessing computers remotely without the computer owners’ consent. ZeuS brings back memories of a worm called Conficker. History does repeat itself. Right now we have program patches and antivirus programs to help prevent some of these viruses from spreading. Although these prevention techniques help, they don’t make us bullet proof from these attacks. Who knows what pivotal event might slow or extinguish these attacks? We should still take the precautions that are available now and hope that one day hacking will cease to exist.

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